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"We are in the middle of a genuine mystery here!" The Orchard has released an official trailer for a strange holiday existential comedy titled Holly Star, the latest from filmmaker Michael A. Nickles. The film is about a broke puppeteer who returns home for the holidays and gets caught up in a treasure hunt with her paintball-obsessed best friend, her tango-dancing grandmother, and a childhood sweetheart. Yeah, that's the premise though the footage is a bit more odd than that. Holly Star stars Katlyn Carlson as Sloan, along with Brian Muller, Teya Patt, Gary Galone, Elaine Adam, and Erik Van Wyck. The comedy is so dry and awkward, and the plot is a mix of 10 ideas. Check it out below. Here's the first official trailer (+ poster) for Michael A. Nickles' Holly Star, direct from YouTube: Sloan (Katlyn Carlson) returns home for the holidays and gets caught up in a...

Lightning Entertainment, the Santa Monica-based sales, production and distribution company, has acquired international rights to the hit South by Southwest Film Festival comedy, Gus, starring Michelle Monaghan (Source Code, Gone Baby Gone) Radha Mitchell (Olympus Has Fallen, Silent Hill) and Michael Weston (Fox’s “House,” HBO’s “Six Feet Under”), it was announced today by Robert Beaumont, President of Lightning.

The film, which premiered at the South by Southwest Film Festival to rave reviews in March, marks the feature film debut of Jessie McCormack, who directed from her own script.

McCormack is also a producer alongside Kathryn Himoff, Kevin Fitzmaurice Comer and Erik Van Wyck. The film is executive produced by Richard N. Gladstein (Finding Neverland, The Cider House Rules, The Bourne Identity). The deal was negotiated by Lightning Entertainment’s Joseph Dickstein and ICM Partners on behalf of the filmmakers. ICM Partners represents Monaghan and Mitchell and is also...

Yesterday, the ceremony of the Writers Guild of Canada Awards was hosted by comedian Debra Digiovanni. During that night, the winners, who work either in the film or television industry, were revealed.

Dishing out the awards were special guest presenters including Yannick Bisson (Murdoch Mysteries), Kristin Booth (Crackie, Young People Fucking), Inga Cadranel (The Bridge, Rent-a-Goalie), Enrico Colantoni (Flashpoint), and screenwriters Mark Farrell (Corner Gas, Dan for Mayor), Michael McGowan (Saint Ralph, One Week), Jennifer Pertsch (6Teen, Total Drama Island), Christin Simms (Captain Flamingo, Dino Dan), Shelley Eriksen (ReGenesis) and Leila Basen & David Preston (Heartland).

Now, without further ado, let's present the winners.

Animation:

Total Drama Action - “The Sand Witch Project”

Written by Shelley Scarrow

Children & Preschool:

Max and Ruby - “Max Says Goodbye”

Written by Kate Barris

Documentary:

The Royal Winnipeg Ballet – 40 Years of One Night Stands

Narration written by Robert Lower

Episodic half-hour:

Less Than Kind -...

The Writers Guild of Canada (Wgc) just announced the finalists for the Wgc Screenwriting Awards. Those finalists come from the industry of television, filmmaking and web series. Besides, comedian Debra Digiovanni will host the 14th Annual Wgc Screenwriting Awards on April 19, 2010.

So, the finalists are...

Animation:

* Grossology - "New Recruits." Written by Richard Clark.

* Total Drama Action - "Crouching Courtney, Hidden Owen." Written by Alex Ganetakos.

* League of Super Evil - “Glory Hog." Written by Philippe Ivanusic-Vallee and Davila LeBlanc

* Total Drama Action - "The Sand Witch Project." Written by Shelley Scarrow.

Children & Preschool

* Max and Ruby - "Max Says Goodbye." Written by Kate Barris.

* Max and Ruby - "Ruby's Good Neighbor Report." Written by Shelley Hoffman & Robert Pincombe.

* Zigby - "Zigby's Collection." Written by Louise Moon

Documentary:

* Malls R Us (Feature Version). Written by Helene Klodawsky.

* The Royal Winnipeg Ballet - 40 Years of One Night Stands. Narration Written by Robert Lower.